Energy audits

An energy audit helps determine where your home is losing energy, as well as suggestions for solutions. The first thing that we do for every energy audit is perform a blower door test. (The exception being if there is vermiculite present in the attic.) A blower door is a powerful fan that mounts into the frame of an exterior door. The fan pulls air out of the house, lowering the air pressure inside. The higher outside air pressure then flows in through all unsealed cracks and openings. This allows us to measure the air infiltration rate in your home.

A few of the other things we do are identify air sealing opportunities, measure insulation, examine the furnace and ducting, and use an infrared camera to check for heat loss.

The next step is six labor hours of air sealing. Depending on your home and it’s accessible spaces, we identify and seal gaps and cracks in the basement or attic using expanding foam or caulking. These include, but aren’t limited to, electrical penetrations, top plates, plumbing vents, box sills and rim joists. We photograph the before and after of this process.

Once the air sealing is finished, and any additional testing is completed (for example, combustion testing if a gas stove is present), we perform the blower door test again. This helps determine the percentage the air flow has been reduced.

Once we are finished on site, we compile the photos and test results in a report. The report identifies areas for improvement, as well as offering potential solutions. You receive a copy, and we keep a copy for our records.

RADON AND WATER TESTING

We test for radon in the air, radon in the water, and the quality of the drinking water.

INSULATION

We install blown fiberglass, cellulose, or fiberglass batts in attics and rigid foam insulation in basements. As part of the process of insulating an attic, we can also insulate hatches, air seal gaps and cracks, vent bathroom fans to the exterior, and install baffles to ensure adequate air flow from soffit vents.

MOLD TESTING

We perform mold inspections and air testing within homes or businesses. During this process, we look for conditions that are conducive to mold growth, and test accordingly.

* The radon air testing is based on EPA and state of Maine guidelines. Occasionally, additional tests are required to meet minimum standards. The most common scenarios being when there are multiple foundations in a home or living space above a garage. Each additional set of tests is done at a discounted rate of $90.

* The radon air testing is based on EPA and state of Maine guidelines. Occasionally, additional tests are required to meet minimum standards. The most common scenarios being when there are multiple foundations in a home or living space above a garage. Each additional set of tests is done at a discounted rate of $90.

**Radon water and water quality testing are done on a per-well basis.

Insulation

Call for a free site visit/quote.

TURNAROUND TIMES

We guarantee the building inspection report within 24 hours, and in over 10 years in business are proud to say we have never missed a deadline.

Energy Audit reports have a 5-7 business day turnaround time.

All testing turnaround times are dependant on the lab and testing conditions.